Family In Sophocles Antigone

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Both of your brothers have died but you have heard that they will only bury one because the other betrayed the family; what would you do? Would you stay loyal to your brother or follow the rules and not bury him? In Antigone, Polyneicês and Eteoclês died in the war but Polyneicês was fighting against his brother so Creon the king of Thebes decides that Eteoclês will be buried with honors but Polyneicês wouldn’t he will be left on the fields for that carrion birds. Creon threatens that whoever buries Polyneicês will be executed but Antigone believes that she has to bury him to stay true to him even after death but does Ismene think the same? Antigone and Ismene are both sisters but they are very different. Antigone values her family and …show more content…
Ismene values more the laws that honoring her brother and helping her sister out. Ismene does not think she can stand against them and she isn’t strong enough for it. On page 689 Ismene says “Our own death would be if we should go against Creon. And do what he has forbidden! We are only women, we cannot fight with men, Antigone! The law is strong; we must give in to the law. In this thing, and in worse. I beg the Dead to forgive me, but I am helpless: I must yield to those in authority. And I think it is dangerous business to be always meddling.” Ismene does not have the courage that Antigone has to go against Creon which makes them complete opposites. Ismene is authoritarian who favors that laws more than other things.
Antigone and Ismene are two sisters with completely different values, Antigone values her family and will sacrifice her own like just to honor her brother but Ismene rather follow the laws and not go against anyone. Ismene is willing to leave her brother on the battlefield without honoring him and letting her sister bury their brother alone knowing what she’s getting herself into. Families may be the same in a way but each person has different beliefs and

Authority In Antigone

Antigone is a greek tragedy written by Sophocles around 400 B.C.E. The main character is a woman named Antigone who lives in a time when women had only one right, burial of family members. All throughout the story Antigone struggles whether to bury her brother and respect family over authority, or to follow Creon’s law; which in the end, reveals that Sophocles values family over Authority. In the story, Antigone feels a tremendous obligation to her family. She wants to bury her brother, Polyneices…

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Character Motivation In Sophocles 'Antigone'

In the play Antigone, Sophocles incorporates several different characters who choose between their own reason and emotion. Introduce arguments: This is evidently motivated through the character's natural desire for love, fear and power. Thesis: Sophocles bases the story around characters who struggle to balance reason and emotion, inevitably leading to their determination to self- destruct even when given the opportunity to succeed. Body Paragraph #1 Introductory sentence: Sophocles includes various…

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Antigone Fate Vs Free Will

scorn fate, whether that fate be doled out by god or curse. His attempts, are in vain due to the actions and words of Antigone, who is the catalyst to Creon’s eventual downfall. Through delegitimizing Creon’s political power and revealing his fatal flaw of excessive pride, Antigone acts to use her tumultuous fate to take Creon down with her. Antigone’s extends the curse upon her family through her interactions with…

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Antigone vs Kreon Essay

Antigone vs. Kreon- "Nomos" vs. "Written Laws" Antigone is a play written in 442 B.C. (hypothetical) by the noted Greek playwright Sophocles. In the play Sophocles deals with issues such as the relationship between males and females and the state as well as the position of women in society. He uses Antigone to represent obligation to family and the gods while Kreon represents obligation of the "written laws" of the state. I think that if the context of the play is taken into consideration then Antigone's…

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Gender Roles In Sophocles Antigone

between the roles of men and women is a major conflict in Sophocles play Antigone. Sophocles incorporates different, sometimes subtle, ways of thinking into the text that suggest that he might have been trying to rock the boat when it came to the traditional views of thinking of gender roles. Right from the beginning, Ismene says to Antigone, “remember, we are women” (Puchner 708), talking about how they have no power because they are women. Antigone seems to be wanting to get out from under the rule of…

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Antigone Tragic Hero

divine power over the gods despite what many may think. In Sophocles’ tragedy, Antigone, it is as clear as the ocean is blue that while Antigone herself may not be a textbook example of a tragic hero, she has more of the required characteristics than that of her uncle, Creon. She was born a princess of Thebes, a noble birth. She is devoted to her family above all else, and is truly outraged at the order forbidding her brother’s burial. Antigone says “[I]f I had allowed my own mother’s son to rot, an…

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Examples Of Justice In Antigone

The moral conflict that occurs when a family member is left for unjust treatment, is hard to reach a conclusion of a correct or incorrect way to deal with that situation. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Creon declares a law that Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, is to have no burial rights. Antigone is influenced by the idea of justice by the determination of burying her brother, condemnation to Creon, and not denying her actions when confronted. Antigone’s determination to bury her brother displays…

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English Essay

central theme in both versions of Antigone is fate vs. free will. It sways the characters behaviour and plays a key role in the characters lives. Antigone knows her fate and is ruled by it while Creon believes that he is in control of fate. In both plays Antigone and Creon make their decisions and these choices lead to their fates. Antigone's defiance is the cause of her death while Creon suffering is a result of his Hubris. Through Antigone and Creon, Sophocles and Anouilh show that people need…

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Creon Tragic Hero

Sophocles’ Antigone features many elements of a Greek Tragedy. One of these many elements featured in the play is its usage of the ‘tragic hero’ trope. A tragic hero is one of the main characters of a Greek tragedy play. This character would start the play on a good, moral path, and had everything. During the course of the play, they would experience challenges, and but by the end of the play, they would experience downfall, and lose everything. The character of Creon is an example of a tragic hero…

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Archetypes In Antigone

current literature and entertainment industry.} Greek people created character archetypes which we are now familiar with, like a strong heroine or an evil villain. These two character archetypes are highlighted throughout the story of Antigone. Throughout this story Antigone, the protagonist, and Creon, the antagonist, fight against each other in order to accomplish their goals. Antigone’s goal is to give her brother Polyneices a proper burial, while Creon’s goal is to punish people who stand in the way…

Words 1015 - Pages 5